Detection of Four Plasmodium Species by Genus- and Species-Specific Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for Clinical Diagnosis

Abstract

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a novel nucleic acid amplification method, was developed for the clinical detection of four species of human malaria parasites: Plasmodium falciparum , P. vivax , P. malariae , and P. ovale . We evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of LAMP in comparison with the results of microscopic examination and nested PCR. LAMP showed a detection limit (analytical sensitivity) of 10 copies of the target 18S rRNA genes for P. malariae and P. ovale and 100 copies for the genus Plasmodium , P. falciparum , and P. vivax . LAMP detected malaria parasites in 67 of 68 microscopically positive blood samples (sensitivity, 98.5%) and 3 of 53 microscopically negative samples (specificity, 94.3%), in good agreement with the results of nested PCR. The LAMP reactions yielded results within about 26 min, on average, for detection of the genus Plasmodium , 32 min for P. falciparum , 31 min for P. vivax , 35 min for P. malariae , and 36 min for P. ovale . Accordingly, in comparison to the results obtained by microscopy, LAMP had a similar sensitivity and a greater specificity and LAMP yielded results similar to those of nested PCR in a shorter turnaround time. Because it can be performed with a simple technology, i.e., with heat-treated blood as the template, reaction in a water bath, and inspection of the results by the naked eye because of the use of a fluorescent dye, LAMP may provide a simple and reliable test for routine screening for malaria parasites in both clinical laboratories and malaria clinics in areas where malaria is endemic.